All Paths Lead to Okinawa
by Riyu Shimoji
Summary: Revised and edited The Sailor Senshi reunite on this beautiful island after the end of StarS and rekindle their friendships. AmixMakoto HotaruxYaten TaikixSetsuna... may change.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One

Tsukino Usagi's life had made a full turn-around over the past year. She realized this as she smoothened out her orange T-shirt, carrying her hat and apron in a shopping bag and watching her tall, long-haired and pigtailed shadow grow larger on the sidewalk. As peaceful as it was, this summer couldn't be any more boring by comparison to what she and her friends had been up to a year ago.

The downtown air was stagnant even as traffic whooshed by at a green light. She missed the signal at the crosswalk, nearly on purpose, stopping to look at the reflection of herself in the glass window pane of an office building across the street. At eighteen years old she hadn't grown an inch in the longest time. Maybe her figure had filled out some, and she thought she might just stand to have her hair trimmed. The large buns, her signature hairstyle, that looped into pigtails, were significantly bigger than the little handfuls they used to be.

Knowledge of her distant future didn't seem like enough to convince her that this surging, hidden power within her couldn't dry up or fade, just because it was unused. Nonetheless, she still hid her massive, heavy golden heart-shaped brooch close to her heart, even when she couldn't pin it to a school uniform anymore. By now she'd gotten used to the rough irritation when she kept it in the front underwire of her bra.

What brought her back to full consciousness, when the stares of bypassers couldn't, was the sound of car horns blaring in a chain just a little past the intersection.

"Hey! Yooooohooooo!" she heard, watching something yellow and pink swish and weave in between cars, with an arm extended out. Usagi smiled and suppressed a chuckle. Aino Minako's clothes were only more and more strikingly outrageous as another weekend passed. The other blonde waved furiously at her, not making the time to bow curteously to the citizens who nearly ran her over.

Minako panted when she reached Usagi, though basking in the delight of confused gazes from sharply-dressed businesspeople, bending down and pointing her frizzing pink tutu-like skirt into the air. At least she'd found a hobby. This summer Mina-chan fell deeply in love with the Tokyo fashion scene, as Usagi noticed in her friend's carnation-colored Elmo T-shirt, tutu, pink-and purple striped knee sock on one leg and half a pair of hot neon-pink netted stockings on the other, a gangster-style diamond monogram necklace, wiry butterfly wings at her back, glitter smeared on her cute freckled face, and what should have been an elegant pink pearl necklace and another knee sock on the girl's arms.

"_Kawaii desu ne,_" Minako said through her gasps for air, pivoting on one high-heeled boot and twirling for her. She nearly hit a gaping little boy with her shopping bags in doing so, and Usagi held a few fingertips to her mouth in awe.

"How do you afford these outfits?" Usagi asked her for the millionth time. The question was itching wildly by now. Here Usagi was volunteering at a hospital, taking the night shift at a small restaurant, and still not close enough to comfortably buy Minako's same Hello Kitty boots. All she knew of her friend's spare hours was shopping in the daytime, and submitting maybe fifty portfolios at a time to modeling agencies at night.

"Masayoshi-kun and Tsuyoshi-kun let me participate in plays and stuff in the park, and we rake in big-time yen," Minako gloated, flashing a toothpaste-commercial smile. "I heard from Mako-chan lately. Have you?"

"No, I haven't. What's she doing?"

"It's so cool! She's a part-time co-instructor at the martial arts center and she also tutors little kids in English."

"This summer's been so busy for all of us, I guess." Usagi sighed, looking up at the sky and hoping to find traces of an afternoon moon peeking at them from behind a cloud. "Every time we try to get the four of us together, it seems like we get awful timing." Even with her two jobs, Usagi still felt the summer lag on much too slow, with no action, no way to keep her mind occupied no matter how much she used her hands and feet.

The two of them plus the mentioned Kino Makoto and another friend named Rei Hino were the only four of their once-grand immediate circle of friends still left in Tokyo, but Usagi and Minako were the only ones as thick as thieves now that there was no reason to fight for a huge cause together. And that was only because of location. Usagi went to the same places every day, and Minako was everywhere, but shopped within basically the same distance.

"It sure does feel weird that everyone's found something to do. But I think we just each got a ball rolling real fast for the summer, and in two months or so, we'll be wishing Ami-chan was here when we think about universities. How about if I come over and we can play video games again? I don't work, so I'm not going anywhere."

"I'm working double today. I have to do the waitressing thing again tonight, but I can get off early. I'll bring us home some french fries."

"Sounds good!" Minako exclaimed, clapping her hands together once and pointing at a sign indicating a bus stop just down the street. "Let's just catch the bus and take a little longer to catch up with each other."

Usagi stuffed some leftover yen inside the pocket of her brown shorts, sitting down beside Minako in the stifling heat of the bus. They continued some small talk, but Usagi let her subconcious handle the conversation while her mind wandered to all the people she missed dearly, cherishing their little personality quirks and the memories they shared together, even if they weren't part of what the tightly-knit five called themselves, the 'Inners'. She closed her eyes and leaned her head back against the bus seat, sighing in calm reminiscence as she envisioned the brooch inside her shirt, shining, angel-winged, and beaded, and wishing with all her might that she could say the words that would shoot pink light out of it and bring her back to that wonderful glory that was Eternal Sailor Moon.

It was 11:25 in the evening and the day still wasn't going by fast enough.

Usagi closed her bedroom window and rested against the wall, toying with a loose thread in her favorite purple bunny-patterned blanket on her bed, not bothering to touch the cheeseburger in the styrofoam 'to-go' box. Minako had been over three days in a row, and tonight she was sprawled out on the carpet, watching TV and singing to a J-pop video. Her company made Usagi really happy for the most part, but tonight the pigtailed blonde gazed repeatedly at her black cat who was half-asleep.

In the drawer of her bedside table were four beautiful lockets and brooches, permanently closed, with varying heart and moon designs on them. She held them at angles to the light, admiring their brilliant shine, although they really were just empty shells that once sheltered many chapters in the beginning of her life as Sailor Moon.

But the one thing that really caught her eye this time was what looked like a fat pink ballpoint pen, glimmering extravagantly like a cheap plastic novelty…

"Usagi-chan? Do you have any Pocky left?" Minako asked, looking up at her from over her shoulder. She was such a funny sight to see just now, in a T-shirt and panties with cartoon puppies on them, a lollipop stick poking out of her mouth.

"Yeah, in the kitchen, I have chocolate and strawberry," Usagi said, smiling, blushing as she thought of how close she had come to getting caught looking at these favorite artifacts of hers. "Go help yourself, and bring up some candies too."

Her friend nodded and padded her way out of the room in socks, leaving her alone with this fabulous pen. She hadn't used this thing in the longest time, and wondered if it still even worked. And when she did put it to work, it wasn't for nearly as serious missions as her big golden brooch was. Usagi had been wanting to cut her hair lately anyway, and see what she looked like in something new---

"No. No, no, no."

Usagi jumped nearly two feet in the air, clamping her hands over her mouth so as not to shriek. Luna really was awake. The black cat stretched out and threw Usagi a cold scowl.

"You know better than that!" the cat reprimanded her, and her own crescent-moon mark on her forehead created a blinding spot in the lamplight. "You don't need reminding of what that's for, Usagi. Put it away somewhere that you _won't_ be tempted to find it or use it."

"But Luna," Usagi whined, "I have no reason to use it anymore."

"My point exactly!"

"So what's wrong with trying out a new hairstyle and outfit?"

"I understand that you're still not satisfied with your new jobs, but abusing the power of your Disguise Pen is not any way to get a few good thrills over the summer, do you understand me?"

Usagi's large sky-blue eyes widened and her mouth upturned into a naughty smile as she held the pen up to the light.

"Usagi, you are not doing this!"

"MOON…"

"Stop this foolishness!"

"DISGUISE…"

Luna leapt at Usagi, sinking her claws deep into the girl's forearm, causing her to cry out in burning pain just as her cordless telephone rang. With tears in her eyes, Usagi shook off Luna and blew gently on the claw-marks in her arms as she made her way toward the phone. Behind her, Minako stepped back inside with a confused look on her pretty face, listening in and tiptoing with sweets in her arms.

"_Moshi-moshi,_" Usagi uttered, raising an eyebrow and wondering who on earth would want to call her so late at night.

"Usagi-chan!"

"M-Mako-chan?"

"Heyyyyyyy, I'm calling from Rei's house," Makoto said on the other end of the line, sounding positively ecstatic. "Is this cool or what? Did you get your tickets yet?"

"Tickets to what?" Usagi yawned. "There a concert coming up?"

"No! You mean you don't know yet?"

"About what? Going on some dream vacation?"

"Well, yes!"

Usagi squinted a little in confusion. Luna stared at her, not knowing how to react, but curling herself over the disguise pen on the bed lest Usagi still wanted it. Minako shrugged her shoulders and turned the volume down on the television.

"Where?"

"Haruka and Michiru just invited us to come visit them at their new house in Okinawa!"

The blonde's mouth hung agape, then formed an ear-to-ear grin as she soundlessly jumped up and down on the balls of her feet. Luna's eyes followed her as she bobbed, and Minako stared on with twenty questions written all over her face.

"Okinawa! Wow! You're kidding!"

"Not at all!" Makoto laughed. "Rei and I just bought our tickets today for the August 10th flight. You and Mina-chan should too, and we'll call Ami soon. I'm sure she'll want to try her best to make it."

In bubbling glee, Usagi slammed the phone down by accident and hugged Mina tightly around the shoulders.

"I'm going to drop you off early tomorrow so that we'll have time to pack our bags. We're going to Okinawa!"


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

"Now here comes the part that's going to cause us all a lot of grief," Tenoh Haruka muttered, already massaging her aching forehead and resting the other hand on her hip. She nodded at the five gentlemen in uniform in the driveway, nervously maneuvering a massive black piano out of its own separate moving van. "I just paid for the house and now here is a new piano I'll have to buy once they smash it to pieces."

The abnormally tall, golden-haired woman blinked a little dust out of her eyes from the crates and boxes around her in what would probably be the living room someday soon. In all seriousness, though, they weren't doing a half-bad job considering that this was day one in the time it would take to completely move in. The fierce afternoon sunlight was coming in pale and filtered through curtains that were already hung up at many of the windows, and her partner Kaioh Michiru silently busied herself in the kitchen for most of the day.

The shorter, feminine woman made her way around a countertop on which she had already set up a vase of white orchids, bringing Haruka a glass of iced tea.

"But you couldn't possibly have left that piano behind," Michiru said in her melodious, euphonic voice. "A huge part of our life would be missing if you did."

Haruka saw bubbling happiness in her lover's navy eyes. Earlier this morning she watched Michiru slip on a soft pastel-yellow sundress and black apron, tie up her waving aqua-green hair, and hum to herself as she gladly carried things in and out. Haruka tried to tell her that she looked like a sweet little housewife, but she choked on the words.

"Maybe we'll do it just like on TV and put the piano up on the roof," she said, trying to shake Haruka out of her awkward and pensive silence.

She felt Michiru's tiny, smooth and creamy hand slip across her waist to meet her own larger, rougher hand. They'd been together for years, but at long last there would no longer be any need to hop from one apartment to another just to see what the other was up to for no reason. Michiru had asked long ago if they could move in together, and it was finally happening on a beautiful tropical island, peaceful and away from trouble.

"If you wanted to get away from a bothersome past, why did you invite those girls to come and see us?" Michiru teased her, leaning her head against Haruka's shoulder, as if reading her thoughts.

"They're sweet and harmless, and I thought we could use some familiar company while we made our adjustments."

"You wanted housewarming presents," her partner laughed.

Haruka's lips played into a boyish, embarrassed smile. "Well, we wanted to begin anew, right? I know you wouldn't mind some new dishes, either."

Michiru laughed, gently poking her in the side with a neatly-manicured fingernail.

"Besides, it just isn't the same without those kids to babysit, anyway," she finally admitted. "Don't think I know nothing about the way you laughed with them too."

"Oh, I certainly wouldn't mind them coming," the smaller woman replied. "I always thought Makoto was kind of cute, anyway."

Haruka's eyes grew large. "Huh?"

"I'm teasing you, Haruka." Michiru ruffled her partner's masculine, short hair and raised herself on tiptoe to kiss her cheek. "I want tempura for dinner."

"You got it."

Along with the iced tea, Haruka took a pill for her headache and stepped out into the driveway to oversee everything. She definitely hadn't been all that excited about the actual moving-in part, with so many expensive things to worry about.

A few palm trees lined the streets of their neighborhood, rustling about in the breeze that was much needed in this hot stickyness. Now she'd have to buy more short-sleeved tops, but it was a little matter when Haruka took notice of the island's bountiful beauty. Right now she wanted her motorcycle more than anything, to tear up the long roads and pass the scenery in the blink of an eye, like speeding through a slideshow made of photographs in a brochure, doubling the sensation of the healing wind washing through her soul, cleansing the few wounds that were still settled in her heart.

This whole thing was as romantic as it had ever possibly been between them, and Haruka thought that playing piano up on the roof with stars glittering over her was actually not such a bad idea, up until---

"Hey, hey! No, do NOT drop that---Oh, DAMN IT!"


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

Ami had always been a Vivaldi fan, ever since she was a little child. Listening to the music now felt unnaturally relaxing, probably because she hadn't shared this interest in classical music with her friends in Tokyo before.

Of course, listening to the music playing so softly in the background while lying down on the rug in the dorm and drinking champagne was something new and unnaturally relaxing entirely. The room was lit so dimly because a dying light bulb was hanging from the ceiling, but Ami really liked this. It wasn't every day that she'd let her computer sit unused and books lay open at nine o' clock at night.

Ami met Johannes her second week at the medical institution in Germany. She loved it here immediately; she was well-respected among her older colleagues, picked up the German language in no time, was met with great challenges which she easily conquered, and found a boyfriend, all at age seventeen. Johannes was twenty-three and from Sweden originally, and although he considered himself not to be even half as brilliant as Ami, she didn't want to let him leave her sight.

And now here they were drinking champagne and listening to Vivaldi on a Friday night, wearing jeans, which was a nice change from what they usually did on the weekends: research together in the library and do logic puzzles at Starbucks, still in their uniforms.

"You know, I wasn't even sure I'd make it through the first semester here," Johannes said in clear English, playing with the ends of Ami's short, shining cerulean-blue hair, while his own loose but short golden ponytail hung over his shoulder. "I thought I might fail and have to go home right away. I'm glad I found you and we got through it together."

"I wonder how badly I did on the exams though," Ami said, smiling sweetly and kicking off her black leather loafers. She was lying on her side in a white undershirt and bootcut jeans, with her neat flowered blouse hanging on the back of her chair facing the computer.

"Hmph, try a perfect score. This was totally cut out for you."

"It's been a dream of mine for many years. A big passion. My mother is a doctor and I loved reading her books at home. What about you?" Ami's deep blue eyes widened excitedly as she let Johannes reach for her hand.

He sighed and looked up at the ceiling with a dreamy smile, in a navy polo shirt, jeans, and socks. His expensive glasses fell slightly askew on the bridge of his nose, revealing his sharp blue-green eyes. "I was always good at English and German, and badly wanted a scholarship somewhere. My mother, she chose the field of medicine for me, and I thought it might be fun to experiment. I was thinking that someday, when I got on my feet with enough money to live comfortably, I'd write a book. But I really love researching here, though. Especially with you. I feel like I can accomplish anything, when we do things together."

Ami sipped her champagne slowly, taking in its sweet scent and taste as he caressed her thin fingers. Hearing him say that was providing her a kind of deep, solid and intimate friendship that she never found back in Tokyo with her zany friends. Johannes was stability, he was truth and knowledge, he was honesty, he was music and light laughter, not some overblown and unrealistic fantasy she used to wish would come and sweep her off her feet.

"I hope you plan on staying," Johannes said sincerely, kissing her hand and meeting her eyes with his.

"The papers said two years," she replied amiably.

"How about longer?"

"Why, are you staying longer?"

"That might depend on you."

Ami blushed and leaned forward to rest her tiny hand on his cheekbone and kiss his small, pink lips.

"Ami."

"Yes?"

"What do you think? About us? About us being together for a long time, I mean."

"I'll let it last as long as it will."

"Me too. But how about coming to Sweden during Christmas to meet my family?"

"And after that, how about coming to Japan next summer to meet my mother?"

"I'd love to."

"Then it's two trips, decided."

"I love you, Ami," Johannes told her in a half-whisper, curving his palm around her pretty hipbone.

"…I love you, too," she returned it, turning just as pink as he was.

"I think—"

"I think we are both thinking about marriage," Ami cut him off, drawing in her breath and coming straightforward. "Are we?"

"I—well—it's a possibility. After four years." Heat rose to his face and Johannes looked down at the carpet, his breath shaky, with a sheepish smile spreading across his face.

"Then that, too, is decided."

Johannes put his fingers to her lips and stared into her eyes again. She followed his irises with hers and stroked his forearm lovingly.

"No, first I will buy you a ring, and then I will ask you formally next semester, on an evening when the timing and atmosphere are completely perfect."

"A moment like this one," Ami whispered.

"I hope so."

Johannes sat up, leaned back against the bed, and took Ami's hands in his, before she embraced him with her arms around his shoulders, kissing him softly and enjoying the faint, teasing aroma of his European cologne. His large, gentle hands rubbed her hips and pulled her into his lap as their lips opened and his tongue met hers. Ami's hands moved to his chin and neck and they breathed heavily every few seconds, making out slowly but heatedly.

Until Ami heard her telephone ring, and the two of them groaned frustratedly, but laughed shortly thereafter.

"I guess they'll be the first to know we're engaged, then," Johannes laughed, redoing his sloppy ponytail and emptying his champagne glass.

"Hello?" Ami answered, smiling at Johannes and tucking a thumb into her pocket.

"_Anoo, Mizuno Ami o onegaishimasu_," Makoto requested nervously.

Kino Makoto was calling her in Germany.

But why?

'_Because they're my friends, of course!_' she reminded herself.

Better Makoto than maybe Usagi or Rei. It would be so hard, and awkward, breaking the ice after all these months with one of those two. And she and Minako didn't really have all that much in common. But although she really enjoyed all their company, having stood by her for years, it was obvious to her that Makoto would be best to talk to right now. She was never rash until Ami needed a strong backbone, when she was perhaps the toughest of all her friends.

"Mako-chan? I know you can speak English," Ami teased, switching back to her native Japanese. Her heart leapt into her throat and she gripped her hair."Wow, how have you been? I haven't heard from any of you guys in such a long time! What's going on?"

"We want you to come and meet us in Okinawa in two weeks."

"_Nani!_"

"Haruka and Michiru just bought a house there, and they want you to join us for housewarming, I guess. We haven't all been together since you left months ago. Your semester's over, isn't it? Why don't you come, and we'll have a big party for you!"

"Wow, I—I really don't know what to say."

"Say that you can make it!"

Ami's eyes delved into the painting of a sailboat on the wall behind Johannes, as she imagined the whole big group of them meeting up in beautiful Okinawa. Makoto had her completely floored. She made an empty promise at the airport that they could come up and visit her in Germany someday, knowing that such a chance might not come along, but the thought of going back home completely turned the tables on her.

Being in Munich, researching with Johannes, and reading books while the girls played video games in Tokyo were thoughts that made her almost believe she'd lived two different lives in a row, sometimes. And such a surprise had sprung up on her now that she couldn't possibly drop the news of her engagement onto her friends now. Someone on either end of the line would surely have a heart attack, and she was just now beginning to accept her engagement to Johannes for herself as it was.

The guilt trip was there, too. So much can change when you haven't spoken to friends in maybe four months. She hadn't even told them that she lost her virginity, something so sacred that before, she only thought she could trust someone like Rei and the others. And poor Rei… Makoto was calling from the Hikawa Temple, which meant that Rei was paying for two long-distance phone calls, and the last time she spoke to her, they argued. Not that it was entirely Ami's fault, because Rei had always been short-tempered, but it was painful on the both of them since it was the first time Ami had actually spoke out against something one of her best friends said.

"H-how is Rei-chan doing?"

"She's fine, why?"

"Oh, I just noticed that you're calling from her place."

"Well, she doesn't mind. She's really excited at the thought of seeing you again… which we all really hope will happen. Can you make it out in time? I know it's on such short notice, but we just found out today too, and it wouldn't be right if we showed up without you, or if we went without telling you first. Rei says she'll even pay for your tickets and stuff, if you want."

"No, no, don't do that. It won't be necessary."

"We're dying to see you, Ami-chan. Does one of us have to be injured or dying for you to come back?" Ami heard Makoto's rough laugh after that joke, and frowned.

"N-no…"

"Hey… Ami, it's okay if you can't make it. We totally understand. Hey—at least we actually got a hold of you. But we do hope that you'll come back and see us soon, though. I tell you what. I'll buy you a great present when we get there!"

"_Chotto matte!_" Ami exclaimed. "I—I'm coming."

"Really!"

"I always have money set aside for something that might come up. All I have to do is pack my clothes and buy the ticket. I'll be there, I promise. Just let me stay with you guys is all."

"Of course! All right!" Makoto exclaimed happily. "This is great! Now I really can't wait. I… I've really missed you, Ami-chan."

"And I've missed you too, of course. I've missed all of you."

"What time is it there?"

"About nine-thirty, and why you're up at this hour over there is beyond me."

"Oh, crap. Sorry… you and I both know I'm not good at math, much less remembering time zone differences. Haha."

"Well, how about if I call you back later on, and we'll talk everything over. I've got studying to do for tomorrow, and your day has only just started."

"Sounds perfect! Goodnight, Ami-chan!"

"Take care, Makoto."

Ami put the phone down gently and bit a fingernail, still staring at that cheap sailboat painting and evading the questioning gaze from Johannes.

"A friend calling from Japan?" he asked, getting up on his feet and collecting the champagne glasses and empty bottle.

"You guessed it," she replied in English, combing her blue locks with her fingers.

"What happened?" His joyful face fell. "Did someone get hurt or sick?"

"No, heavens no. I'm just—wanted for a visit, to tell you the truth."

"So, can you go?" asked Johannes, thumbing through a textbook on Ami's bed.

"I don't know. I mean, I'd like to, but it just doesn't feel right. I haven't even told them about you."

"Really?" He looked up, puzzled. "Then maybe some time with your friend might do you some good. Get caught up with each other."

"I feel bad that I don't think I can take you with me."

"Ami," he said softly, "you and I have been inseparable for a whole semester. We have families and friends in two different countries. This is totally okay by me. I just haven't visited home yet because my aunt is in Norway and my mother took my immediate family to go and see her. I'll be fine here, I promise. I want you to go and have fun. Nothing will happen, you know that… right?"

"Of course."

"Do you want me to help you out? I have money—"

"I don't even like it when you pay for me on dates. It's okay, I have it."

"So when are you going?"

Ami sat down on the bed beside him, playing with a curling end of his dark-blond bangs. "In about two weeks. You and I can talk over our own plans until then."


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

"I just can't wait!" Tomoe Hotaru said, dashing back and forth across her tiny bedroom, tossing clothes into an old, worn leather suitcase. "I haven't even been on an airplane before. This'll be an awesome trip, probably even better than the camping trips we used to all take together, don't you think?"

Hotaru stopped to open up her bedroom window for her friend, letting the breeze tickle the curtains before she went and jerked open another dresser drawer. Her short, sleek black hair fell to her chin and she touched it as she passed the mirror, checking it over with cute, deep violet eyes. At age fifteen, even though she'd always been so pale and thin, she definitely looked more ripe and feminine, which Setsuna noticed from the doorway.

Meiou Setsuna grinned and watched Hotaru in envy of her youth, and how the girl blossomed just about every year. She could barely remember what she was like herself at fifteen years old, but going to Okinawa to innocently celebrate something with friends was certainly no part of it.

"All your clothes are gray and black, and I think I'll buy you a colorful swimsuit. How about that? Maybe even a two-piece bikini, something cute."

"Really?" Hotaru glanced at her, blushing slightly. No one would believe she'd ever worn anything even just a pinch ostentatious before, or ever would. She'd always been in such delicate health, Setsuna really didn't know whether or not she could be out in the sun for very long.

"You're fifteen and in high school. Why not? Is there even a boy you like?"

"No, not really."

Setsuna chuckled. "Someday there will be. Anyway, how about something pink or orange, and flowery? We'll go shopping for one later."

"Are you going to swim with us too, Setsuna?"

The older woman looked down at her feet. It had always been so hard making promises to her as a child. Something usually came up, and it was even harder explaining what drew her away from Hotaru, Haruka, and Michiru so often. Perhaps Hotaru had always understood what it was, but never had a complete comprehension of what her full duties were. In any case, things were much different after a full year, and now she would try her hardest to fit in as a close friend and a normal girl, for maybe the very first time.

"Well, sure. Why?"

"I…" Hotaru picked at her fingernails and stared at them for a few seconds, before she found something else to say. "Because actually, black might be the best color swimsuit for you, with your green hair and red eyes."

Setsuna giggled and walked over to her, patting her shoulders. "How about if I help you out? How many tank tops and shorts do you have? Okinawa's very hot."

"Not very many…"

"So now you have tank tops, shorts, and some really cute skirts," Setsuna said, carrying half the shopping bags as they made their way down the sidewalk in downtown Tokyo, herself in high heels and Hotaru in new sandals. "Are you ready to look for a bathing suit?"

"I suppose so," Hotaru said meekly, peering down at one of her new skirts. "I don't know what my father will say about all this, though."

"Not to worry. I've been a family friend for a long time, and even though he trusts me, some of these can be our little secret. You can wear the shortest and tightest ones to the parties when we get there."

Hotaru giggled and slurped the remainder of her iced coffee.

"So you name it. What's the number-one boutique where all the girls at school go for their swimsuits?"

"That one." Hotaru extended out a thin, frail arm and pointed out a huge shop down the street with exaggerated stick-thin mannequins in the window modeling beachwear and attracting what young people these days believed to be the most glamorous of women. A look of intimidation crossed the girl's face as she, too, noticed what kind of girls left the store.

'_How laughable_,' thought Setsuna.

The store was heavily perfumed and pink, so much that Setsuna worried about little Hotaru getting dizzy, but instead she led her through the racks and acquainted her with the most outrageous price tags and showy clothes. They were greeted loudly by painted old women and plastic young ones who stared at them with sudden profound interest in Setsuna's tall, curvy figure and Hotaru's slim, blossoming one.

"Show me what you like," Setsuna told her.

"I couldn't even think of buying anything from here except the towels!" gasped Hotaru, clasping her hands together innocently and gazing at the older woman with large, overwhelmed eyes.

"How about this," Setsuna said, with a gleam in her crimson wine eyes and tapping her lip with her finger thoughtfully. "You just go into behind the curtain and I'll pass you something to put on. Maybe once we see you in something, we can make a decision."

"O-okay," Hotaru agreed, nodding obediently and drawing the curtain around her in the changing area over in a corner. "Just nothing too loud and bright, okay?"

"Don't worry."

Hotaru peered meekly at her reflection in the mirror, combing her sleek black hair behind her ears with her fingers. She couldn't really argue when Setsuna told her that she was pretty, though Setsuna herself was a sight to behold for anyone. Setsuna was so tall, with all that gorgeous spruce hair, her sexy and mysterious eyes, and slight tan color to her skin. How it was possible that Setsuna could ask her if she had a boyfriend, when she could take her pick of any gentleman herself, was beyond Hotaru's imagining.

Slipping her frilly black blouse up over her head, she checked the mirror and took a good look at her body. She had resembled a stick for as long as she could remember, pale and with a very visible ribcage. A cute little navel peeking out from underneath the waist of her jeans, a smooth and creamy stomach, small and shapely young breasts protected by a modest, black lace bra. Maybe everyone else might have said that she looked older, but she felt no different from when she was thirteen.

"Try this on, Hotaru."

The fifteen-year-old nearly jumped when she saw Setsuna's hand poke through the opening in the curtains, holding a lime bikini. Hotaru took it reluctantly, blushing and barely recognizing what she saw in the mirror, turning around after slipping the bottom piece over her black-and-white butterfly panties. In truth she actually had very pretty thighs, but exposing them was far from natural to her.

"This doesn't feel right," she uttered softly, opening the curtains only so that Setsuna could see through the small gap. "I hate the way the top feels. I think it's too small."

Setsuna feigned a youthful giggle, looking at the triangle top that hugged the girl's chest closely, so that it came dangerously close to covering only half her nipples. "That's the style, and the tag says it's your very size. You don't like it?"

Hotaru shook her head. "Let's try something else."

She'd repeated that line for awhile until they finally agreed on something that had her name written all over it: a burgundy strapless one-piece that brought out the fresh curve of her girly hips and clung to her chest so that it wouldn't slip.

"It'll feel a lot better when I swim," Hotaru explained as they left the store, squinting from the sunlight and the glare in Setsuna's dark sunglasses. "_Arigato_, Setsuna."

"Don't mention it," the older woman replied, feeling very accomplished and somewhat motherly. "You and I haven't done anything together in a long, long time. Instead of shopping next time, though…"

"What?" Hotaru looked up at her curiously, as if wondering whether or not to stop walking.

Setsuna's thin, moist lips curled in an attractive smirk. "I want to make your dress for the next school dance. Is that okay?"

"I'd like that very much!"

"Good, it's settled. You've grown so much, and I have the perfect design in mind. Now, how'd you like to go out for sushi?"

"Actually, um… can I run in there real quick?" She pointed to an arcade they'd just passed by, the window lined with differing sized plush dolls. "A friend of mine works here and I'd like to show her what you got me."

Setsuna nodded. "Sure! The next bus doesn't come for another fifteen minutes anyway. I'll be on that bench over there."

"Fifteen minutes," Hotaru whispered to herself as she broke into a jog and pushed the door open, her eyes scanning among the men sitting at the pachinko machines, boys at the air hockey tables and simulation stations, and at last found what she was looking for.

She walked around on the blue and pink arrow panels, nervously watching the screen flashing what felt like a thousand brilliant colors at once, hearing a techno beat pulsate in her eardrums, into her blood, into her soul. Back in her old mary-jane style shoes, she lightly tapped the rectangular button below the screen.

The machine guided her in an enthusiastic voice as a few people gathered around the metal dance platform, almost as if they'd cross their fingers any minute in excitement.

The knowing that she had an audience set her feet in a rigid yet slippery motion as she met the scrolling arrows with her anxious step, only barely catching the beat, until the rave feeling of her song built up inside her like the stone wheel gathering momentum and rolling into motion. Her slim figure reflected in her audience's eyes like another game screen, marching and hopping proudly to a fast rhythm, even if her score and her precision faltered.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

Kou Taiki's head bobbed to the music on his and his roommates' favorite J-Pop channel, sitting on the couch with one leg tucked under him and a pop culture magazine lying open on his bent knee. How he sorely missed singing like the three of them used to. Hard to believe it had already been about a year since they wrapped up their very last tour. Maybe their big mission in Japan was finished, but at times like this, Taiki didn't want to believe that he was the music was finished with him, or vice-versa.

He looked around at Yaten and Seiya, and sighed to himself as he noticed how unchanging things had been, otherwise from ending their singing. They still felt like the Three Lights, the same handsome young gentlemen with the same last name, matching tapered ponytails, and the same eagerness to find love, and the same eagerness to spread their message to females.

Still, because of just one little detail, it didn't feel right to put smiles on the faces of a female audience anymore. Okay, fine, a _huge_ detail, with much thanks to Yaten's exaggerated overemphasis.

That was why he was taking up Lesbian-Gay-Bisexual-Transgender studies, to explore his fascination with the experimentation among the human genders. It was a creative way to seek knowledge and use up his spare time, but even when cracking open a book or surfing the Internet for information, he couldn't study without cranking up the radio to a great J-Pop song, specifically songs by similar male groups.

"It's like 11:00 at night, Taiki. Why are you still watching that?" Seiya asked, holding a curling fold of his ebony bangs in his hand, his back hunched over as he read a newspaper on the table across from his friend.

"I think they have good vocals!" he explained, swaying a little and smiling when an attractive male pop star lip-synched, gestured, or winked very close to the camera.

"Hnurg… they sound gay," Yaten snapped, though he was actually half-asleep with his head and arms slung over the arm of the couch. His lovely green eyes were closing and his long silvery-white ponytail was disheveled and feathered all around his shoulders, and he still had a full glass of whiskey in his hand, which could have tipped over and spilled his drink on the carpet at any moment.

"Look at how cute he is," Seiya teased, his chest shaking as he chuckled to himself silently. "Should I carry him to bed and tuck him in?"

"Screw…off…" the smaller man yawned, causing Taiki and Seiya to laugh a little more. "I'll go to bed when I'm damn ready."

Taiki curled his finger around an almond-brown lock of hair in his ponytail, putting the energy in his heart into lip-synching along to the crooning and sighing adolescent boys in the music video, and padding his bare foot into the carpet to the beat.

"Oh, damn… I was hoping they were signed with _our_ old record company."

"Are you kidding? They'll want nothing else after they've had the Three Lights. We were the very best, and they wouldn't even let those little snot-nosed kids tour with us," Seiya said firmly, shooting glances back at the TV every few seconds.

Taiki beamed in satisfaction. Maybe it was only really that easy for Yaten to put the past behind like they agreed, but he knew that Seiya at least couldn't put away his former glory as the Three Lights' lead vocalist. Although you'd think that Seiya wouldn't have this much trouble at least finding a girlfriend, he was amazing at capturing the hearts of female listeners. It wasn't that Taiki was planning on asking if they could start up the band all over again, but he had to at least talk about these memories with someone.

"Hey…" Seiya uttered, squinting at something he was reading and turning around in his chair with the paper folded in his hands. "You guys… what do you think of going to Okinawa?"

"Tired of Osaka already? We just got here," moaned Yaten, cracking an eye open and wrinkling up his chin and his lips while resting them on his hand.

"My thoughts exactly," added Taiki. "Our apartment _is_ small, but I thought we agreed on staying in Osaka, and I'm in no mood to move again."

"No, no, no." Seiya shook his hand. "I'm reading an article about Haruka Tenoh winning her sixteenth race in a row. It says that she didn't stay long enough to give a full interview, but told the press that she was going to hang up her helmet for awhile and settle down in Okinawa with her significant other."

"And so all her little lesbian fans are heartbroken," Yaten scoffed. "So, what? You want to go down there and take her away from Michiru?"

"Not really. I want an excuse for a vacation, that's all. Seriously—wonder what'll happen if we come knocking at her door."

"She'll punch your lights out," Taiki reported sadly. "She never did really like you that much."

"Ahh, but Michiru kinda did…"

"Don't get your hopes up."

"Well, fine. We don't have to go if you don't want to—"

"Thanks, how considerate," Yaten interrupted before trying to go back to snoozing.

"But Yaten! We can afford to go anywhere we want at any time right now!"

"Then why are we stuck in this crap apartment, huh? A mansion would have been nice."

"You said yourself that we don't need excess publicity!"

"Then how about a mansion in… Denmark? You know, some place where they don't know us?"

"Quit being dumb."

"_You're_ being dumb!"

"Shut up already," Taiki said, thumbing through the pages of his magazine. "It was just an idea anyway. Am I right, Seiya?"

"…I wanted to go…"

"So _go _then!" Yaten spat.

"You will be pretty disappointed once Haruka shuts the door in your face," Taiki reminded him. "After all, there's no dire emergency that we need her and the other Senshi to help us out with."

"You guys, that's not the only reason why I want to go. Check this out." Seiya crossed over and slapped the folded newspaper on the coffee table in front of their couch. Yaten and Taiki bent over to take a look between the creases and stains from Seiya's energy drinks and looked puzzled. Seiya pointed at a small box in the corner.

"It's a club!" Taiki exclaimed. "And all these old bands are going to be there!"

"What, it's not time for a Three Lights' Twenty-Year Reunion yet, is it? My hair might look white, but still…" babbled Yaten.

"Karaoke contests, and they're playing old songs the entire night. I was thinking maybe we could show up as surprise guests. Think of it – the publicity! We sign autographs, sing a number or two, rake in some extra money… and hang around by the beach resort if we made reservations ahead of time. And I'm Seiya Kou—of course there'll be a vacancy for us."

"I'm too tired for this," Yaten sighed, throwing his hands up and leaving through a small door that led into the hallway. "Tell me everything in the morning, okay?"

"So can I call and ask about plane tickets?" Seiya asked, looking Taiki in the eyes. "You know we need some excitement around here, and we've been in this apartment for a month and a half, longer than it feels. You can bring your laptop and work on your college courses when we get there. What do you say?"

"Actually," Taiki replied, feeling his own dark eyes sparkle, "I've been waiting for a chance like this to come up for a very, very long time."


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

Perhaps it was the fact that Ami was used to so much success. Everything in her life had recently been all about instant gratification – being recognized for her achievements, getting what she needed on campus without restrictions like being driven around since everything was close by, or Johannes' affection. She imagined that once a person got used to easygoing, immediate satisfaction all the time, having a flight delayed for a second time would wear out one's patience quicker than usual.

'_Perhaps this is a blessing in disguise,' _she thought, conjuring all her strength in her right arm to tote her large suitcase. '_At least now I get a few more hours to myself. I can finally finish reading that romance novel...' _But even in her mind she could not say this without blushing, as she thought about Johannes and how her secret but heightened interest in passionate romance stories seemed to add some spice to her love life. She was going to miss him every minute of every day she'd be gone, with all the life she had in her.

She crossed her silky, clean-shaven legs once she'd reached an empty seat, and while very conspicuously checking to see if anyone was looking her way, she reached into her leather carrying bag and pulled out two books. Sheltering a tiny Japanese romance book behind a larger, colorful text titled _Advanced German_, Ami plunged into her flood of kanji and hiragana after carefully undoing the curled edges of the pages she'd flipped back nervously a few times, blushing because of the book's content, before she could remember that usually only she could read it.

"What? Delayed again? Are you sure?" Ami overheard coming from her left. But she didn't look up to see who the speaker was. English was common here, at the university and most especially inside airports.

"_Shinjirarenai_," moaned the foreigner to himself.

Ami thought she had recognized the Japanese accent before, but now she felt her hair standing up on the back of her neck, almost believing that she knew who it was. Her eyes widened in interest, but she still didn't lift her head from her book. It was after dark already, and as she hadn't talked with anyone since leaving Johannes this morning, her mind could have been playing tricks on her. Probably, she figured, it was just another businessman, or a tourist.

"Usagi will be worried about me," the man sighed.

Ami bolted upright in her chair, with her heart pounding in both dread and sheer joy. She made a sharp double-take as soon as she caught a flash of dark brunette hair and icy-warm oceanic navy eyes, a cherubish complexion, and long, slender, smooth hands, second-guessing herself for a moment.

It couldn't be.

"_M-Mamoru-san_!" she exclaimed, choking on the sharp, stinging breath that caught in her throat.

Mamoru nearly fell out of his seat, taken aback and gripping his hair with one hand. "Ami-san? Holy… whoa! Impossible!"

Ami cursed herself inside as her lips involuntarily formed an ecstatic smile, and she feared that in this state of surprise her top lip would dry and stick there. Mamoru looked at her with unfeigned happiness, with his eyes lighting up like those of an excited and gleeful little boy.

"What are you doing here?" she asked him, blushing profusely and wishing that this wasn't happening.

"I went on a trip to France last week with my professor," he responded, trying to sweep the exhausted traveler's look off his face with his palm. "I didn't know you actually decided to come to Germany!"

"Yes, I've been here for a whole semester already. Goodness, look at you! All worn out from studying and traveling, I expect?"

"I've been working my head off, but I'm pretty satisfied with the way things have gone. I'm more than ready to go back home and see Usagi and everyone again. Jesus… and here I was just a few weeks ago thinking that I wouldn't be seeing you until I brought home some presents from America for everybody at Christmas."

Mamoru was twenty-one now and finally finishing up his time at Harvard University, after those very few but very long years of keeping Usagi and the girls waiting in Japan. He did look a little older, though still clean-shaven with an attractive and youthful face. Now his smile was calmer, more sage. He sat attentively, rubbing his palms together as if contemplating how best to spend the moment conversing with her. In just thirty seconds Ami revisited all the reasons why she and her friends fell in love with him in their youth.

"Well, this is… the most surprising coincidence I've ever…!" Ami's voice trailed off, as she could think of nothing to say to keep herself from losing composure.

"Tell me about it. Wow. Ami-san. You look… well, older."

"So do you," she stammered. "I see a very handsome, successful young man with all the makings of a wonderful husband."

'_Oh, hell_,' she thought, fighting back tears of humiliation. '_Please tell me I did not just say that._'

"Thank you. Though I think you're still too young to really be a doctor, I'm willing to bet you're the very best one at the academy. So intelligent and pretty. You must have everyone's attention there."

"Well, um….."

As if to save her life, as if a God existed for her and showed her the very last of His mercy, a chiming rang throughout their tiny section of the terminal. Ami and Mamoru glanced at each other for a moment and leaned forward to listen to the final announcement about their flight.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

"You really want to know what I think? Do you?" Michiru asked, showing the smallest possible trace of her cute pink tongue against her bottom lip, grinning at Haruka playfully by light of the candle. Gracefully she set her chopsticks down, laying them across the side of her empty plate and swirling the last half-swallow of red wine around in her glass.

Haruka grimaced at herself, running her calloused hand over her messy, nearly-tangled goldenrod locks. With a sigh she used her free hand to pick at the collar of her white blouse, pulling her black tie loose so that it hung sloppily around her shoulders.

"I'm sorry about the vase already," she said, pouting. "I'll try to be more careful, but at least I didn't break it." She tilted her head back so that it seemed to hang by hinges on her neck, and led her wine glass up until she drained it completely.

"No, no, I'm not worried about the vase," Michiru half-whispered, getting up and walking so slowly, so cat-like and seductive, toward her partner. "I haven't even thought about it since I watched you fumble with it this morning. Right now I am thinking something totally different."

"And what's that?"

Michiru bent over her so that her waving aqua hair curtained Haruka's face and her own. Her navy dress, cut low in the front, formed a tiny canopy that revealed the outline of a lacy beige bra, such a pretty, classy image all put together with the string of pearls around her neck. Haruka felt Michiru's knee slide against her hip, and the smaller lady leaned her weight on Haruka's chair.

"I think you've done a terrific job getting things together in such a short length of time. I think you should be rewarded. I think you and I should relax a little…."

Haruka had a faint hope deep in her soul that it wasn't just the sauce at dinner that made Michiru lick at the corner of her lips.

"Would—would this have anything to do with you being dressed up for some mysterious reason tonight?" she asked her hoarsely, feeling her throat dry in bewilderment.

"Perhaps. How would you like to meet me up on the roof, right under the overhang, and play a song or two?"

"Will you be bringing your violin?"

"No," Michiru replied firmly in a sultry whisper, resting her hand on Haruka's knee and squeezing affectionately. "I'll be watching you."

"Then I'm afraid you're just going to end up on top of the piano again," Haruka said, forming an entertained, boyish smile, and letting her eyes narrow in an almost sinister fashion.

"Well, what are we waiting for?"

Michiru stood up and caressed Haruka's cheek with her fingertips, withdrawing a little so that she could masterfully undo the clasp of her necklace. Her shoulders shifted slightly so that the low neck of her dress would inch its way down, and feigning an accidental sigh, Michiru skillfully ran her string of pearls over one plump, smooth breast, dipped it teasingly low into her cleavage and then up over the other. Involuntarily Haruka's eyebrows arched higher and higher up onto her forehead, and as if hypnotized by the woman's beauty, she leaned forward and seized Michiru by the waist—

"Hello? Hello? Are you two home or what?"

Michiru's eyes darted to the front door, and Haruka sustained a deep growl in her throat as she patted Michiru's shoulders and went up to answer the impatient knocks and the whining voices at their door.

"I swear, this must be a new record or something. Haven't been in the house three days and already someone's found me. I had a hard enough time explaining you to the press, but now here's someone who just won't take it," Haruka complained loudly to Michiru.

"Haruka! You open the door right now!" rang out a firm, reprimanding feminine voice. As soon as it all clicked together, Haruka winced in embarrassment and her partner stifled a giggle.

"See, that's what happens," Michiru said.

"Sorry about that, Setsuna. We didn't think it was you. Hey, kiddo." Haruka smiled warmly at the tall, green-haired woman and the blossoming teenager who had been standing out there with suitcases for several minutes by now.

"You've arrived!" Michiru exclaimed happily, assisting the two of them with their luggage. "We've missed you two. You look so pretty and grown up, Hotaru."

"Setsuna and I have been waiting out here for ages," Hotaru said, doing a poor job at pretending to be angry. "You better be glad that we still love you, 'cause we came all this way, and we're hungry."

"Then you'll just have to join us at the table, won't you?" Michiru smiled, kissing the black-haired teen's cheek and rubbing her shoulders. "Haruka, darling, I think we might still have another bottle of wine for Setsuna, and I'll make some tea for Hotaru."

Haruka nodded and turned to Setsuna. "Flight okay?"

"Yes, it was relaxing," Setsuna replied with a polite nod, her crimson eyes twinkling from the lone candle burning on the kitchen table. "I hope you weren't too, ah, busy with dinner."

"No, we do this kind of thing every night. Please, have some wine with us…. And the Gates of Time?"

"Perfectly under control. Of course, I'll always feel uneasy about it, because even during times of peace you can't risk too much, and I couldn't begin to tell you about the second thoughts I've been having about coming here, but I promised Hotaru. And I've missed you, both of you. This is a beautiful house you have." Setsuna blinked in awe at how spacious the place was. So huge, with so many rooms upstairs that she was so sure neither of them would ever need. "Though it's kind of hard to accept it as a retirement home when you guys are so young."

"I like to call it a sort of extended vacation," Haruka commented mischievously. "You never know… Michiru and I might be running off again within a few months from now. We always find something to keep ourselves busy."

"A person would think that you two are constantly running away from something."

"Nah, not really."

"I saw the piano up on the roof," Hotaru chimed in, hunched over a cup of green tea, underneath Michiru's admiring gaze. "You've really picked out a beautiful place!"

"We were just thinking of making our way up there when you two showed up. You know what? Bring your food up there. Setsuna, you too. I understand you've been singing in musicals lately at your school, young lady, and if I don't get to hear your voice it just might break my heart," Michiru cooed lovingly.

"Alrighty! Sounds fun. There's just something about that night sky over here that's sort of… _different_…."

Setsuna watched the three of them slink up the dark stairway, with a solemn expression on her face and a deep cough rising in her chest.

"You coming or what?" Haruka turned around and asked.

"Yes, yes of course…."


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight

"I'm so sorry about this. This whole thing is embarrassing," Mamoru said, sliding his suitcase up onto the rack in the closet. "I just can't believe the flight was delayed four damn times, and they knew all along that nobody would be flying on it tonight. They should have just forewarned us. We wasted our entire day."

"What, are you joking? Please, think nothing of it. This sort of thing could happen to anyone, and tonight it's just befallen us. Tomorrow morning we'll just have a nice breakfast, and we'll complain about it with the agency if we have to," Ami suggested, nodding courteously as she emerged from the bathroom. "Besides, I'm sure you would have done the very same for me, right?"

"Yes, of course. I can't thank you enough, Ami-san."

"Let's not talk about it anymore. Now, is there anyone you need to call, so you can let him or her know where you are?"

"No. This whole thing was a surprise for Usagi… and the rest of you, for that matter. But now that you know," he added with a wink, tossing his wallet on the countertop in front of the mirror, "you won't let it out, will you?"

"Not if you don't want me to." Ami smiled, sprawling out on one of the large beds and opening the telephone directory. "But please let me know if you change your mind."

"Oh, no, I won't. You've already paid for the room, and you know I'm going to pay you back for this when we arrive."

"I don't think so, Mamoru-san," Ami replied in a singsong voice. "I'm happy enough just to see you. Please, just have some coffee, or whatever else you might like."

Mamoru sighed and glanced at the digital clock between the two beds, which now read 10:22 p.m. "Looks like I can't win against you in this round. You're a lifesaver, Ami-san."

The blue-haired woman turned over on her side, not yet thinking about the amazing coincidence of meeting him here in Berlin, and the occurrence of a delayed flight, and how very strange and awkward it was that they should be sharing a hotel room just a few hours later. But at the same time, she couldn't ignore it, and that was why she couldn't fall asleep as easily as it might have seen to Mamoru, who fell silent and had turned to glancing at the TV guide, thinking that she really was falling asleep. Two years ago, this all would have been a godsend, the ultimate blessing that she could only daydream about under the pretense of closely studying a long, boring textbook. And now that it was happening, the signal to act according to those daydreams was instinctual, but Ami pushed those thoughts out of her mind as quickly as possible.

Try though she might, it was difficult.

'_Of course it's natural and it makes sense to be curious about it,_' she thought, her pensive gaze poring into the golden roses in the green-and-red comforter. '_After all, I'm not the only one who had an enormous crush on him back then. Rei-chan and Mina-chan would be blushing and giggling about it, still. And just what else should I have done? We are both stranded here and that part is no fault of mine._'

"Oh, you can watch TV if you want to," Ami offered, noticing that he was still standing there looking at that pamphlet for the past five minutes. "I don't sleep until very late anyway. We have nothing else to do as it is; all the shops downstairs are closed at this hour. Though I think you might still be able to exercise or use the Jacuzzi though. And there's also a bar."

"You're so kind." Mamoru turned around and grinned sheepishly. "Actually, you really don't mind if I just watch a movie or something?"

"Feel free. I myself haven't watched a movie in ages, and I'd probably be doing the same thing if I was here entirely alone."

"Oh, do you have a roommate at the academy?"

"No, but I hang around with, uh, colleagues, until the very early hours of the morning. Working on research papers, things like that. None of us can remember to sleep, usually, and that's what I do the minute I get back to the dorm."

"And I thought _my_ work was intense." Mamoru chuckled and reclined in a chair over at the far end of the room, by the window that overlooked a fair part of downtown Berlin.

"I don't know much about your college life either…"

"Well, almost the same, term papers and things, and a lot of research, but I just take advantage of the library for an hour or two every afternoon. It's still necessary that I take some courses to improve my English, too, so I work on that, plus I've made a few helpful friends who invite me to see the American movies with them."

"What were you doing in France with your professor?"

"He invited me to come along and meet some of the students he'd also taught English to, and since Usagi has always wanted to go to Paris, I thought I might check it out and get a feel for the area. I tried to pick up some gifts for her over there too, but I didn't have enough time to really look for anything."

"How charming. France. I've stayed right here all semester, though traveling to different countries is so much easier. This is the first time I'm leaving Germany in so long."

"Have you missed it back home?" Mamoru asked her, channel-surfing but with a look of genuine interest gleaming in his eyes.

"I like the fact that I'm launching my future here, but I can never ignore the fact that I'm Japanese, and I do miss our large family. In fact, I—I'm visiting right now because I promised that I would, and this could be the only chance I even get this year."

"It's the same for me, too. It sounds so easy to keep those promises when you leave, and when you find out that going back is not so easily done, there's pressure."

Ami nodded, letting her attention drift to the action movie as well. About an hour or so into the plot, Mamoru had started to feel much more comfortable around her, slipping off his shoes and resting his feet on the chair across from him. A few times he looked as if he would trail off into a deep slumber, but Ami would watch him long enough to notice that he was gazing at scenes of heightening tension with a dreamy,

zoned out look on his face. She deeply longed to know what he was thinking of, before she came to her senses and realized that this was the first time he would be seeing Usagi in so long.

"This just won't do, you know," he almost whined, stubbornly. "You should have had it first, because you're paying for everything!" A fine gentleman though he was, this stubbornness may have been a sign of Usagi coming out in him.

"I wouldn't accept that for an answer and you know it," Ami insisted, shaking a finger. "You know it makes no real difference in the scheme of things. What I really want is for you to come and see us, and therefore I'm taking it upon myself to help you get there. And you will meet Usagi well-rested and looked after."

"I give up. Well, thank you very much again, Ami-san. I feel special. And now, the shower is all yours."

Mamoru stepped out of the bathroom, no longer just craning his neck to poke his head out of the doorway, and Ami turned such a deep crimson that she thought Mamoru might give her CPR in the event that she looked like she couldn't breathe.

Ami could see steam rolling off the bathroom mirror and hot droplets of water rolling down Mamoru's shoulders and bare chest, trickling down so slowly until it reached the long, soft white towel around his waist. In her heart of hearts she could scarcely remember the last time she saw anything this beautiful. His muscles were more well-toned than she'd ever imagined, and with his wet hair combed to the side he fell nothing short of model material for any kind of clothing company in the world.

"Th-thank you."

And she stood, wrapped only in her own white towel, taking small and nervous steps toward the bathroom door, feeling a tremendous rush of gratitude for the fact that the corridor was so narrow, because she inevitably stopped before him.

"Oh, sorry, I should have waited until you passed by."

"No worries," he replied evasively, already looking straight ahead at his clothes laid out on his bed. "I'll just squeeze on by here."

But for a split-second, Ami knew she saw Mamoru's eyes dart in the same direction as her own. Just as they made their way past each other, as their bodies stood turned toward one another, her breasts, underneath the thickness of her towel, grazed against Mamoru's hard chest, and her bare thighs against the towel draped around his own.

"Oh—Ami?" he asked, turning around and looking at her before she entered the bathroom.

"Yes?"

"You have to pull the knob out toward you."

"Wh-what?"

"To turn on the water," he said, most definitely not blushing at all, unlike her. "In this shower you have to set your temperature and then pull the knob out toward you, not up."

"Oh… right. Thank you…."


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine

Everyone in their clique knew well that things were going to be dramatically different once Ami left before the end of high school, but at times it seemed that Kino Makoto was the one who was most perceptive of it.

Their sweet Ami-chan had just finished her first semester at that medical institution in Germany, and already it felt like a decade had passed. It wasn't as though new and better friendships were made, but the ones that Makoto had always had were being seen in a new light since Ami was no longer the bonding glue that held everyone together as their traditional clique of five.

By now Makoto had lost count of how many times she'd spent the night at the Hikawa Temple over the summer. Sometimes she felt like the great big orphan of the group, living on her own but invited to stay over at a friend's house every other week or so just to have company. To be "taken care of", they called it. And this summer the responsibility rested in Hino Rei's shoulders.

It wasn't as though Rei really minded, and Makoto knew that. She reminded herself of this just now as she toweled herself off, stepping out of the tub feeling rejuvenated. If anything, the only tension there was between them was when they'd run out of things to talk about. Rei and Makoto had developed an even deeper sense of sisterly love lately, that "click" in their friendship that was long overdue.

Nobody really thinks of fire and thunder together in any sort of partnership alone. It is always with the other elements.

As Sailor Mars and Sailor Jupiter it was rare when they got to fight only alongside one another. Sailor Mars was independent, determined, most undeniably loyal to Sailor Moon, and never second-guessed her strength. Sailor Jupiter was less and less of a direct fighter in their later years of the girls' cooperating as Senshi, but more like a pillar of support. She protected. Rei charged on at the front lines. They were fire and thunder, two separate powers.

Rei had stood up mostly for Usagi and Ami, and she and Minako got along on their own terms, finding way too many similarities between them, sharing secrets that were inaccessible to anyone else. Makoto's best-friend-ship with Minako was not fading, nor taking a turn for the worse, but it seemed as though they were in synch with one another only when there was trouble coming ahead. By brainstorming they were an unstoppable force. Through strategy the two of them together were just as clever as Ami. But high school ended, and they hadn't been in any battles for more than a year, and Minako was enjoying all the time she was allowed to be frivolous, and the only one who could really fit into that scene with her was Usagi. Makoto had continued studying here and there, doing what she could to save a little money for a future that was indefinite. And Rei had welcomed her with loving arms into the Hikawa Temple.

Between the two of them they shared their intimate secrets and eliminated all possible social barriers that had existed before. Makoto loved how they seemed to be on the exact same wavelength, with their tempers and their rash ways of thinking, and the way they spoke, rough yet sincere. They seemed to share the same romantic dreams about what they wanted the future to hold. And so all summer they slept in the same room, went out to restaurants and movies together ritually, confided in one another, saw each other naked, and were almost virtually inseparable.

Rei took her mind off missing Ami so much.

"Damn, I knew it. I forgot to pack shampoo. Did you bring some, Mako-chan?" Rei asked, entering the bathroom just as Makoto dabbed at her clean-shaven legs with a towel, resting her foot against the tub.

"Yeah, but I don't know if you like the green apple scent." Makoto tossed back her wet, heavy brown curls that cascaded down her back, so as to face her friend.

Rei made a face. "I'll get over it, I guess. I wish I had your long legs, too."

Makoto laughed. "I wish I had your long black hair!"

"Don't be stupid, yours is beautiful. Curls are sweet." Rei made herself welcome to Makoto's bag, trying out the different fragrances of soap, shampoo, and moisturizer. "Hmm, I like this…. Oh, did you buy something for Haruka-san?"

"Actually, I thought I might just cook everyone a nice dinner while we're all here. Which is why I hope Ami-chan shows up. She was supposed to arrive here yesterday, if not today." Makoto wrapped the towel around her body and accepted the container of moisturizer from Rei.

"I won't know what to say when I see her," replied her friend, hanging her head down sadly. "I feel like everything's changing. Not that it's her fault or anything, it's just that everything's felt so different since she left. It's like she was a wake-up call telling us that we all had to get a move-on, or else we'd miss something important."

"Yeah, you didn't look so happy when I was on the phone with her." Makoto stroked Rei's pretty head, which was now cradled on her bare shoulder. "What's the matter?"

"It's just that she and I had a disagreement the last time we talked on the phone, and I feel really guilty about it. I know she's not mad anymore, and neither am I, but she was entirely right. She says that if Sailor Mercury is ever needed, she'll come back immediately, but until then, her hands are tied and there isn't much she can do for us for a long time. She didn't say this, but it feels like I've been selfish, trying to rob her of her future or something. I suppose I never really understood it, though. The girl's a genius and she's achieving things miles beyond my reach. I want her to be happy, but we've been friends for a long time, and I can't easily accept her being so distant, and I don't mean just geographically. It doesn't have to be this way forever, does it?"

"No, it doesn't," Makoto decided after a deep breath. "And she knows that. But look at Mamoru and Usagi. They'll be together again because it's their destiny. Think about the future way ahead of us. Crystal Tokyo. Ami-chan will be there with us. And as much as I don't like to talk about it or admit it, we haven't faced the very last of our battles."

"…I know you're right. But it still doesn't feel the same without her. The part I'm worried about is, she might change her mind."

"She said she would be coming, and I believe she'll be here. And when she does show up, I'm almost certain she'll be happy to see us no matter what. Now, I'll get some clothes on, and let's hurry on downstairs before Setsuna leaves next. You know we can never stay together in one big group for more than like five minutes."


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter Ten

"Ami-san. Ami…."

Caught in that state of just beginning to awaken, Ami kept her eyelids shut and turned slowly in her bed, concealing a contented smile on her sweet Asian face. She loved being woken up this way, and like always, wished that it could carry on like that for the rest of the day. How sad it was that she would have to get up, shower, and make it to the lab all in about twenty minutes after this routine was over.

"Mmm…?" she played along, almost straining hard to feel Johannes run his hand down her cheek and neck, and trace his finger down her collarbone….

"Wake up, Ami. We're running behind."

"I don't want to go…."

Ami reached up and caressed the side of his face with gentle, loving strokes. She heard him shift some more of his weight onto the bed, leaning his hands on the mattress and lowering himself toward her. Through her eyelids she sensed daylight streaming through the window, in the little crevice where the curtains should have met. It was all so beautiful, but Ami noticed that Johannes must have forgotten to put on his favorite European cologne.

"I don't either, Ami-san, but we agreed that we'd be on our way back to the terminal at ten, and we missed the continental breakfast."

Ami's eyes snapped open and she retracted her hand from her best friend's fiancé's face.

"Mamoru!"

"I'm sorry!" Mamoru exclaimed, gasping in surprise. "But you slept through the alarm, and I had to get you up before we risked missing our flight. I'm so sorry. I didn't know what else I should do."

"It's okay," Ami said softly, feeling a wave of furious crimson rush to her face again. "I'm the one who should apologize. I'm normally up early, you see…."

"Don't worry. Oh, and um, good morning." Mamoru smiled sheepishly, still hovering over her, evidently not sure what to say or do next.

Indeed, they were in quite an awkward position here. Ami stared up at him, smiling in embarrassment, pulling the covers up over her lacy blue bra; Johannes' T-shirt had shifted on her while she was asleep. Mamoru was already fully dressed, and rather sharply.

"What time is it?"

"About 10:25."

"Oh."

They were still grinning at one another, looking deeply into each others' eyes, as if they shared a big secret. Mamoru tried to clear his throat and look away, and Ami tried to turn on her other side and get up, but Mamoru's arm was still there.

The mid-morning sunlight splashed around his face in such a way that it was like a blinding white-gold aura surrounding him. At that moment Ami thought that she'd probably never seen anything more beautiful, nothing more painfully sweet and inviting. She saw that Mamoru was studying her face intently, looking her over with his deep navy eyes that seemed to shoot straight through her soul.

It could have been one minute or an eternity that had passed in this silence, and Ami cared not to count the seconds while he was so close to her face. She wanted to touch his hair, cut so smoothly and evenly, styled so neatly, like rich dark chocolate woven into soft midnight silk. And Mamoru was still gazing at her face.

Her nerves got the better of her as she tilted her head slightly, letting his soft kiss land on her cheek and placing her own on his.

Then suddenly it was as if the world was ending around the two of them, as a loud blaring noise pierced the air. Mamoru gave a startled jump and Ami threw her palm up onto her wild beating heart. They sprang apart and Mamoru slammed his fist nervously onto the alarm clock.

"Oh goodness, I'm sorry!" Ami said breathlessly. "I hit the snooze button a few times, I forgot! I'm so sorry!"

"Don't worry, it's fine. At least you're awake now." Mamoru stood several paces away from the bed, with a firm look on his face that showed determination not to approach any closer.

"If you have everything together, I'll just get up and ready and meet you in the lobby. I'll take care of everything else," she said, avoiding his eyes and setting her long T-shirt straight before leaving the covers.

"Thanks so much. I'll be waiting." Mamoru hastily made his way toward the closet, gathering up all his belongings and moving so smoothly, which amazed her considering that what just happened truly had their nerves up. He still had a bewildered look on his face.

Ami went about as she said she would, but bore no consciousness over what she was doing. In her mind she was still lying in bed, wondering how on earth things would pan out between them after they'd kissed one another. Her mind was tossed and jumbled around as she searched frantically for a way to even explain it to herself first.


End file.
